Apparatus including a conductor supported by an insulating support

ABSTRACT

An arrangement for securing an elongated resilient wire conductor to an insulating base having integral guide means associated therewith.

United States Patent [72] Inventors JoseiHofer;

Gunter Haage, Wien, Austria [21 Appl. No. 724,572 [22] Filed Apr. 26, 1968 [45] Patented Feb. 2, 1971 [73] Assignee International Standard Electric Corporation New York, N.Y. a corporation of Delaware [32] Priority Apr.'28, 1967 [3 3 1 Austria [31 4064/67 [54] APPARATUS INCLUDING A CONDUCTOR SUPPORTED BY AN INSULATING SUPPORT 7 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig.

[52] US. Cl 200/166 [51] lnt.Cl 1-l0lh 1/58 [50] Field of Search 200/175, 168A, 166.1,166B3, 166B8, 166B; 339/17, 17C,L, I7LC,LMM, 263

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,758,978 5/1930 Rosen 339/363(X) 2,368,842 2/1945 Kealoha 339/363 2,944, I 31 7/1960 Kernander et al. 200/ l 66( .l 3,213,255 10/1965 Kussy etal 200/I66(B3) 3,387,106 6/1968 Ward 200/166( .1)

Primary Examinerl-l. 0. Jones Attorneys-C. Cornell Remsen, lr., Rayson P. Morris, Walter J. Baum, Percy P. Lantzy, J. Warren Whitesel and Delbert P. Warner ABSTRACT: An arrangement for securing an elongated resilient wire conductor to an insulating base having integral guide means associated therewith.

PATENTEDFEB 2:911 3'560 686 Inventors .T. HOFER 6-. HAM:

By WW A Horney 1 APPARATUS INCLUDING A CONDUCTOR SUPPORTED- BY AN INSULATING SUPPORT The invention relates to an electrical circuit arrangement and an appliance which is provided with such circuit arrangement. The invention is particularly intended for telecommunications appliances.

The electrical circuit arrangement according to the invention and the device which is provided with such circuit arrangement are characterized in that the electrical conductors are resilient wires, which are round or angular in cross section, and are firmly connected to an insulating support at least at one point of the line, and guided in at least one nose and at least one groove or in at least two oppositely directed noses of the insulating support, the conductor being guided on the surface of the insulating support or in an elongated recess in the insulating support.

In such circuit arrangement or such appliance, the electrical conductor are, in a development of the invention, wires which are bare throughout or in a part of their length.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the conductor is firmly connected to the insulating support by a screw. In a particularly simple embodiment of the invention, a firm con nection of the conductor to the insulating support is established by rectangular insulating walls, which are at right angles to the insulating support and closed on three sides. The walls serve to receive a square nut and have at least one through aperture for the conductor. The insulating support is provided at the center of the space enclosed by the insulating walls with a through aperture for the connecting screw. Apertures are provided for receiving the lugs of a cover plate and a fixing bolt. The bent, preferably curved, end of the conductor is clamped by the bolt between the cover plate and the nut and is firmly connected'by the lugs to the insulating support.

In another embodiment of the invention', the firm connection of the conductor to the insulating support may be established in that the conductor is threaded into at least two holes of the insulating support. That end of the conductor which is remote from the line is preferably used for the connection to the connecting leads of the circuit arrangement by soldering, clampingor plugging.

The circuit arrangement according to the invention can easily be installed and enables the use of the conductors as contact members. Further according to the invention a second, similar conductor is provided, which crosses the conductor substantially at right angles and which constitutes the second contact member and is moved by an actuating member, e.g., a key member.

In a further embodiment of the invention the bare conducting wire and a second, similar conducting wire extend parallel to each other and these two bare conducting wires form one part of a contact whereas a third conductor, which is substantially at right angles thereto, fonns the second part of the contact.

Further according to the invention, the third conductor may be similar to the first and second conductors or the third conductor is characterized in that it is a freely movable shorting member, preferably of wire, which is secured to a contact-actuating member, e.g., a key member.

An embodiment of the invention .will now be explained more fully with reference to the drawing.

The conductor 2 is secured to the insulating support 1. The circuit arrangement according to the invention is characterized by four requirements: The resilient conductor 2, the fixation of this resilient conductor 2 to the insulating support 1 at least at one point 3 of the resilient conductor 2, the insertion into at least one nose 5 of the insulating support 1 and the insertion into at least one groove 4 of the insulating support 1. Instead of a groove and nose, two oppositely directed noses 17, 18 may be used.

The conductor 2 may be round or angular, e.g., rectangular, in cross section. The conductor 2 need not lie in a single plane. Where a large number of conductors are used, the conductor must be bent in the form of steps or must be laterally shaped in a horizontal plane so as to provide space for other conductors in the same plane.

The invention is not restricted to the use of only one groove or one nose or to two oppositely directed noses for one conductor. A plurality of noses and grooves may be used.

With the different noses of a line, the directions of that portion of the noses which is parallel to the insulating support may differ. The inside surfaces of the noses, particularly that portion which is parallel" to the insulating support, may include an angle with the insulating support or have a curved surface. For instance, it may provide more space close to that portion which is at right angles to the insulating support than at the portion which is remote therefrom. The grooves too may be wider at the bottom than at the top.

If the conductor extends on the surface of the insulating support, the groove and nose will protrude from the same. If the conductor is guided in an elongated recess such as that at 20 in the insulting support, the groove and nose 17 will be within the elongated recess. The latter embodiment is particu larly suitable for a stacking of insulating supports.

The invention is not restricted to the use of straight guides for the noses and grooves. The grooves and noses may be angled, i.e., two noses or grooves having different directions may be combined in one element.

The conductors may be bare wires throughout their length or may be bare only in part of their length, e. g., at the ends or where they are connected to other conductors.

The fixation of the conductor 2 need not be effected at the end. The conductor 2 may be fixed anywhere in the line so that the ends are not fixed. The conductor may be connected to the insulating support at a plurality of points of the line.

In the embodiment shown by way of example in the drawing, the conductor 2 is connected tat its end 3 by means of a bolt 12, which is threaded into a nut 10, which is located in the space defined by the walls 6 and 7 by the cover plate 11 having lugs 15 and I6. The lugs are passed through the slots 13 and 14 and reversely bent on the underside of the insulating support 1. A U-shaped end of the conductor 2 is previously inserted between the nut'l0 and the cover plate 11. When the screw bolt 12 is loosened for the connection of a wire leading to the outside, the firm connection will be loosened but will be reestablished when the bolt is tightened.

In another embodiment of the invention, the conductor 2 is threaded through holes in the insulating support I. To this end, the conductor 2 is bent at right angles and passed through the insulating support I, on the underside of which the wire is laterally bent to extend parallel to the line or at an angle, e.g., a right angle, thereto and in the plane of the underside and is then returned, at right angles, to that surface of the insulating support which is visible in the drawing.

According to the invention, these free ends are used for connection to the outside connections when the conductor has been threaded. This connection may be established, e.g., by soldering, clamping or plugging.

Developments of the invention reside in the use of the conductors also as contact members. Such contacts according to the invention are preferably established by a crosswise arrangement of the conductors, which are placed or guided according to the above-mentioned features of the invention. These conductors are connected to or separated from each other by keys. A plurality of conductors may extend parallel to each other. The number of parallel conductors is not restricted to two.

Two parallel conductors may be short-circuited by a crossing wire, which is connected to the key member, and may be opened after the shorting.

The technical advance afforded by the invention resides in that the internal circuit arrangement of electrical appliances, particularly for telecommunications, can easily be established and can easily be altered, different from other known socalled printed circuits" or laid circuits.

When the invention is applied to telecommunications appliances, a maximum circuit arrangement may be provided in that all lines which are conceivable are prepared by the provision of fixing points and corresponding noses and grooves. When the conductors are then inserted in according to the in vention, the desired conductors and the contact connections which can be established with them are incorporated by a mechanical assembly technique. The circuit arrangement according to the invention can easily be altered subsequently.

While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to be understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. An electrical circuit arrangement in which an electrical conductor is used in the form of a resilient wire, said resilient wire is securely connected at one end to an insulating support at one point along a line, and said resilient wire is guided in at least one nose and at least one groove along the surface of the insulating support.

2. A circuit arrangement according to claim 1, in which the resilient wire is a bared conductor.

3. A circuit arrangement according to claim 1, in which the secure connection of the resilient wire to the insulating support is established by a screw.

4. A circuit arrangement according to claim I, in which solid connection of the resilient wire to the insulating support is established by walls of rectangular insulating material, said walls are placed at right angles to the insulating support and closed on three sides, said walls serve to receive a square nut and have at least one through aperture for the resilient wire. the insulating support is provided at the center of the space enclosed by the walls with a through aperture for a connecting bolt, apertures are provided for receiving lugs and the connecting bolt, and the resilient wire is clamped by the connecting bolt between a cover plate and the nut, and the cover plate is firmly connected by the lugs to the insulating support.

5. A circuit arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the end of the resilient wire which is remote from the line serves also for the connection to connecting lines of the circuit arrangement.

6. A circuit arrangement according to claim I in which a part of the resilient wire is used also as a contact member.

7. A circuit arrangement according to claim 1, in which the resilient wire is supported in an elongated recess in the insulating support. 

1. An electrical circuit arrangement in which an electrical conductor is used in the form of a resilient wire, said resilient wire is securely connected at one end to an insulating support at one point along a line, and said resilient wire is guided in at least one nose and at least one groove along the surface of the insulating support.
 2. A circuit arrangement according to claim 1, in which the resilient wire is a bared conductor.
 3. A circuit arrangement according to claim 1, in which the secure connection of the resilient wire to the insulating support is established by a screw.
 4. A circuit arrangement according to claim 1, in which solid connection of the resilient wire to the insulating support is established by walls of rectangular insulating material, said walls are placed at right angles to the insulating support and closed on three sides, said walls serve to receive a square nut and have at least one through aperture for the resilient wire, the insulating support is provided at the center of the space enclosed by the walls with a through aperture for a connecting bolt, apertures are provided for receiving lugs and the connecting bolt, and the resilient wire is clamped by the connecting bolt between a cover plate and the nut, and the cover plate is firmly connected by the lugs to the insulating support.
 5. A circuit arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the end of the resilient wire which is remote from the line serves also for the connection to connecting lines of the circuit arrangement.
 6. A circuit arrangement according to claim 1 in which a part of the resilient wire is used also as a contact member.
 7. A circuit arrangement according to claim 1, in which the resilient wire is supported in an elongated recess in the insulating support. 